Environmental and energy security concerns have caused increasingly higher requirements on energy sustainability and efficiency. Vehicle electrification is a technology that can contribute to addressing environmental and energy issues. Electric vehicles (EV) enabled by the power grid offer an efficient energy source as compared to vehicles propelled solely by internal combustion. However, technical challenges like EV range and ownership costs should be overcome to facilitate large scale market acceptance.
Range anxiety has been a limiting factor for EV applications. The range of EV largely depends on battery capacity. A full recharge of the EV battery often takes several hours using a standard power outlet. In comparison, it takes only several minutes to refill a gas tank. Potential trip abortion, or interruption, caused by battery depletion are primary concerns of EV customers. Success of EV applications may rely on the establishment of fast battery charging and replacing facilities. Also, information technology may provide EV customers with more accurate range estimation, energy efficient routing, and recharge guidance.